This MMO was made for HORROR FANS

The setting and details are mostly references to 80's horror flicks, Lovecrafts works and other horror/fantasy literature.

There are literally references everywhere. You can't escape them and they will draw you into the game like nothing else.

To further draw in the player, there are some minor point-and-click elements that require you to read the quest text, find clues and follow symbols.

The character customization is also unique in the sense you can gain all skills in the game and readily swap between skill sets.

Everybody will be able to tank, heal, DPS etc. and will readily be able to swap between the roles at a whim, sort of like in GW2 with respect to its weapon-swapping mechanics.

Often it feels like you are in a horror movie yourself, with the gory monsters, gratuitous topless nudity and questionable plot/voice acting.

[mod edit]

Horror fanatic

Minor point-and-click elements

Questionable voice-acting

Subtle 

I like the way you broke it down.  I agree 100% that this game appears to be intended for horror fans.  It's the first true horror mmo out there.  Already bought my pre-order and im in closed beta....it's just my kind of game.

I agree. I wouldn't say that the combat system is harder to deal with than any other MMO, but in my opinion more interesting because you can mix your own unique cocktail. Love the horror-setting. Makes my brain stay focused.

Although I've always loved the more ordinary systems with classes and levels (and also think that GW2 looks good), I'm sure I'll jump over to TSW now. More appealing with something new and fresh as I'm growing older and already played 100 games with the old systems :)

One question, why is the design intend to have a macbook-esque interface for a MMO directed at a horror fanatic fanbase?

The app icons, the status bar in the top.

It has neat ideas in execution of certain mechanics, but people kept saying you need to look for clues to solve quest, I haven't came across one in my 6 hours of gameplay. It often has an icon directing me to the area, and and in the small area, I have to look for the object, like a corpse in the bush, etc. I have a few notes and memo with handwriting, but they usually makes no relevance to the quest and is just backdrop to the quest.

and 'oh god' was the reaction to the animations, the jumping height, walking, control sensitivity. I know some people can look past those things, I can't :(

Maybe I haven't watched any 80's horror flicks, but it doesn't seem that scary to me yet, it seems more mystical then horror.

And theres still a lot of bugs for a game thats coming out in a month? I mean, I fell through the terrain in the first flash back sequence, a blast exploded near the escalator, and BOOM, I was floating in space look at the sun in a galaxy skybox. This was within 10 mintues from logging in.

that and so much more.  Did you know you don't have to do the story at all? 

Originally posted by Chopsticks

that and so much more.  Did you know you don't have to do the story at all? 

  If you don't do the story, you miss out on the experience. The story quests are of generally better quality than the generic (blue/blood red) ones anyway.

In that sense it's a bit like SWToR, but with a better world design and much more detail.

Originally posted by Gwahlur

Horror fanatic

Minor point-and-click elements

Questionable voice-acting

 

Subtle 

Well some parts of it are goofy. The voice-acting and story at times, particularly the dialogue, like in SWToR, is simply goofy. It might be something out of a B movie, but it's still entertaining to watch.

If you love horror movies and the old 80's B movies, then you'll get a kick out of it in any case.

This isn't the kind of game you play to challenge yourself, but to be entertained. Isn't that what all games used to be about? Enjoyment?

Originally posted by //\\//\\oo

This isn't the kind of game you play to challenge yourself, but to be entertained. Isn't that what all games used to be about? Enjoyment?

Well yeah, and I agree with what you're saying I guess. Combat, especially with what's available in the beta weekends (starter zone, only beginner skills) isn't very challenging, but I see potential for challenging combat further on.

And also, there are other aspects of it that you can challenge yourself with, most noticeably the investigation quests and deck theorycrafting

     Actually most of the older MMOs were about challenge......It wasnt until later that games felt they had to entertain players.

Originally posted by Gwahlur

Originally posted by //\\//\\oo

This isn't the kind of game you play to challenge yourself, but to be entertained. Isn't that what all games used to be about? Enjoyment?

Well yeah, and I agree with what you're saying I guess. Combat, especially with what's available in the beta weekends (starter zone, only beginner skills) isn't very challenging, but I see potential for challenging combat further on.

 

And also, there are other aspects of it that you can challenge yourself with, most noticeably the investigation quests and deck theorycrafting

I don't know if people have played GW and recall the times after its launch. But the first half year saw a quick avalanche of all kinds of creative personal and team builds, counter builds and trends in them.

I haven't seen it like that in other MMORPG's, the whole deck building was creative and a game in itself.

TSW looks to have the potential to see something sortlike, certainly in the first months where theory crafting and experimentation with personal and team builds will deliver trends that'll follow eachother up fast.

Originally posted by Theocritus

     Actually most of the older MMOs were about challenge......It wasnt until later that games felt they had to entertain players.

Lol. Sorry, but a dev that makes a game wihout as goal to entertain its players is doing something wrong. Gamers that say that they play games not wanting to be entertaining are lying. Games are always about entertainment, why else would people trade in their free time for playing them: educational purposes, for a sociology thesis, for work, to make money?

Only the approach to how to provide entertainment has changed: just like a football game on tv, or American Idol or Game of Thrones are all about providing television entertainment, but the way they're going about it will be different.

Originally posted by Theocritus

     Actually most of the older MMOs were about challenge......It wasnt until later that games felt they had to entertain players.

Well, then the people playing them found the challenge entertaining.